Wearing the Cloak of the Grim Reaper
by Dattebayo Devon
Summary: There's a certain illness transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. The only way to prevent infecting others is to cover yourself. But that's never been a foolproof plan. Written by Foxy from Dattebayo Devon and Master of the Hellish Yard as an attempt to work on our sadist powers.
1. The Mystery that is Mystogan

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Master of the Hellish Yard and Foxy from Dattebayo Devon have decided to work on their writing together for one fanficiton, just as a way of remedying their writing skills and getting back into the Fairy Tail groove. We have united due to our sadistic natures. Please enjoy!

**Wearing the Cloak of the Grim Reaper**

**Chapter 1: The Mystery that is Mystogan**

* * *

_Little fingers grasped at the sheets on the bed, shaking as he was unable to take a firm hold and feeling the fabric slip between his digits. His skin felt as if it were ablaze, cooking his insides, setting ablaze whatever it touched. His throat scratched and his breathing was rapid, his body too tired and too stressed to be able to will himself up upon his feet. He felt sticky in sweat and wished he could jump into a bath, but undoubtedly they would not allow it._

_He was so preoccupied with the illness that he did not always hear the voices around him. He could hear them speak but his brain would not always register what was said or if it had importance. Their chatter made little sense after a while ... he was sick. He had _the_ sickness. The one everyone feared, even though it harmed very few in the times in which they lived. They were debating how ill he was, though he didn't care how much – he knew he had it and he wanted to sleep, fight it off. He didn't care how it was taken care of._

_He picked up bits and pieces of the conversation. "Fatal ... carrier ... no signs of the rash ..." but even if these words registered they did not make sense to him as a whole._

_But what hurt the worst is when a man, though blurred in his vision, walked into his chambers, and when he willed himself to hear, he regretted it. "Too weak to be my son," came the spiteful hatred no parent should hold for their child. "Allowing this to take you the way it has."_

_He no longer wished to listen. He closed his eyes, allowing the voices and the angered voice to continue to spew at him and become nothing more than background noise. He wanted water, but he'd ask for it later ... now, he wanted to sleep ..._

*  
A man stood outside the guild, clothed in heavy fabrics woven tight enough to keep the rain from drenching him. Pausing, he leaned a slight bit heavier against the walking stick he'd needed to take out earlier that day. His joints tremored ever so slightly, though it was not from exhaustion. The illness was harsh today... Once he'd caught his breath, the man straightened his spine, ignoring the numbing pain in his system. He could only hope the sleeping spell would last until he was done.  
Opening the doors and walking into the threshold, Mystogan snapped his fingers. He had no intention of lingering at the doorway long enough to be noticed. Abruptly all the mages' thoughts were stilled as they drifted off, and he himself relaxed a bit as the noise level dropped. Noise would only aggravate his mind and his state, tranquility was the remedy. What he would do to rid himself of the headaches ... but there was nothing to be done. As he walked in, the bottom of the walking stick clacked against the wooden floor, a sound to let him know he had arrived even though it was greeted by deaf ears. He had to walk to the side as a mage slumped over in his path, snoring loudly. Shaking his head ever so slightly at the sight of the normally-riled mages, he strolled to the mission board and grabbed whichever one caught his eye first and had enough of a substantial reward. Mystogan turned and headed to speak to Master, who clucked his tongue. "You really should stop putting them to sleep. You need to work on your people skills."

He didn't even need to turn around to see the state of the mages. Yes, normally people would be distressed at having fallen asleep in such a manner, wouldn't they? Mystogan gave him a bit of a bow. "I know. I apologize."

"Though," and Master was almost grinning at the potential hilarity that could ensue, "I don't think you're going to get away fast enough today~"

Around them, the guild was stirring. Mystogan's stomach dropped. The spell hadn't been strong enough today! It would not take long for the tranquility to vanish, like vapor to the sun. Maybe he would get lucky and none of them would take notice of him _still_ there. Maybe if he stayed still enough and reacted to the environment as little as humanly possible ...

For one mage there was no such thing as time between sleep and awake. The moment his brain had switched on, Natsu jumped upright on the table and sniffed the air. There was someone different here. It smelled like–

"Oi! Flamebrain! Some of us like to wake up without having to see your ugly mug!"

Natsu spun around at the insult, goaded by his arch-enemy, friend, frenemy – whatever they were called. "What'd you call me? Stupid Ice-pick!"

Gray laughed, getting up and standing behind the table's bench. "Flamebrain. Though right now, it looks like that fire's dead and gone. All that's left is ash, ash-for-brains!"

"Hey!" He jumped forward, landing on top of Gray and sending them both to the ground. Some of the guild members had already rolled back upright, though a few sleepyheads or drunks still lay in the path of chaos and had the mishap of getting involved in the duo's turmoil. The two of them rolled into an awakening Macao, knocking him flat, and eventually into another crowd. From there, the problem could only grow.

From behind, Mystogan watched the scenes unfold alongside a very amused Master – who would not yet berate them, as he wished to see how Mystogan would play into this. Mystogan winced and tried to refrain from bringing a hand up to rub at his temples whilst looking desperately for an escape route, only feeling the headache build up again. Everyone seemed to have started fighting after those two began, and all the obvious paths of exit were either blocked or being watched.

As they were rolling around on the ground, Natsu paused long enough to sniff the air again. _Oh yeah! Mystogan's here!_ Gray took advantage of the distraction and managed to toss Natsu into the bar, narrowly missing the cloaked mage. Once Gray caught sight of said cloaked mage, he stood there in awe and pointed, completely unaware that in the last thirty seconds he had lost his shirt. "It's YOU!"

All gazes turned towards the source of Gray's distress, ignoring Natsu as the fire mage climbed out of the wreckage. At being caught and recognized, Mystogan couldn't help but _stand_ there. What was to be done _now_? The Master simply chuckled; at least the mages would recognize Mystogan as he actually was, since most never saw the heavily clothed mystery mage before. Most of the Fairy Tail mages had probably passed Mystogan on the streets and never recognized they belonged to the same guild.

"Why are you here?!" Gray exclaimed, strutting over. Natsu, who had just pulled himself up, abruptly turned around. "Yeah, did you finally come to fight us?"

Mystogan looked to Master for help. But the old man only gave him a wave and a grin, clearly enjoying watching. He knowingly attempted to disguise his voice, having known that Wendy recently joined this guild and might catch him. He had heard of her new guild through the social networks. "I ... well, not exactly. I needed another missio–"

"So why didn't you put us to sleep? Don't you usually do that?"

"He _did_, stupid! That's why I woke up with your ass in my face!"

Temporarily distracted, Natsu turned back to the ice mage and left Mystogan be. "I'm not stupid, stupid!"

"Oh yeah? I beg to diffe–Hey!" Gray was abruptly cut off by a punch to the jaw, which he returned by slamming Natsu into the bar.

"Gray! Natsu! Stop that!" Came the shrill shriek from a nearby blonde – Lucy, if he recalled correctly – but her cries went ignored. He was glad that for the moment, he was forgotten, and started to quietly scoot himself from the scene while the rest of the guild remained distracted. He needed to find somewhere quiet ...

When the dragonslayer reached around for something to throw back, the first thing he came across was Mystogan's wand. Mystogan's eyes widened as Natsu grabbed hold on it, and he tried to use another to get rid of the offending hand. But that little boy was so strong! And because of the illness, today Mystogan himself wasn't exactly up to par.

But at Mystogan's resistance, Natsu let go of the wand. Stepping back from the bar, a demonic grin came over his face. "Why do you wear all that stuff, anyways? Don't you get hot?"

Gray looked over. "Yeah... Maybe it's–"

"Maybe it's because he's TICKLISH!" Natsu called, both out of sheer thrill and a desperate need to interrupt the ice mage. Jumping, he attached himself onto the heavily-covered mage. He managed to open a spot to the skin and began to tickle, waiting for the laughter. Perhaps he would have gotten an immediate response if Mystogan was not in the throws of a severe headache, but no one had any way of knowing of his state. _At least they're not ripping anything apart._ With a shrug, Gray joined in. _Looks entertaining enough._

Though the ice and fire mages appeared to be fully amused, the rest were waiting in expectant horror. Would Mystogan really tolerate this, or would their entire guild get blown to the heavens? Some were already beginning to cower behind the counter or the tables in response.

"Erza, shouldn't you stop them?!" Lucy turned to the red haired mage, but was stunned to see her looking complacent.

"Hmph. You need to learn how to handle them." Erza shrugged. It seemed she did not feel the need to interrupt this time. _Why's Erza so nonchalant about this?!_ "They're not fighting, technically. Mystogan will stop them when he can't take it anymore. Let them be."

Lucy's jaw slacked, and she turned back to the scene. _Maybe it's because her cake wasn't smashed this time._ She eyed the sweets suspiciously. She didn't think this kind of behavior was worth encouraging either. Especially against someone like _Mystogan_ of all people. Though she had only ever heard of him from the others, she could only surmise he was _extremely_ powerful, and that it would be _insanely _stupid to mess with him. Even if Mystogan somehow knew that Gray and Natsu were mentally deficient. So she wrapped her fingers around her keys. "Gate of the Lion, I open thee: Leo!"

"Hello, Princess," a velvety smooth voice greeted as a puff of golden smoke showed the lion's entry. "What can I do for you today?"

Lucy just looked at him. _How he can ask in all of _this _I will never understand. It must be some effect of having stayed here for a while._ "Stop them!" She cried, pointing at the ice and fire mages attached to Mystogan.

When Loki looked over, he could immediately sense the headache Mystogan was suffering from. He winced in sympathy. The poor man, having to deal with _those_ while dealing with _that_.

"Geh, he's like stone!" Gray gaffed, standing back while folding his arms.

"No one's this unticklish!" Natsu declared, glaring Mystogan in the eyes. Mystogan just stared back as blankly as he could muster, not wanting to agitate the one with the shortest temper. _How to get out ..._

"Maybe it's elsewhere!" Natsu declared, and perhaps to everyone's further horror, he _pounced_. Even this caught Mystogan off guard, and the poor mage was knocked to the ground. Even Erza had to wonder how Mystogan was tolerating their idiocy this far. Leo visibly winced and started his way over through the stunned onlookers.

Gray and Natsu, both too busy with their new task, didn't hear the sudden silence or take note of the spiritual presence coming closer and closer behind them. Unfortunately, at this precise moment, Natsu's hand shot down to Mystogan's inner thigh – whether Natsu knew he was doing this or not, no one knew – and for Mystogan it was just _too_ close to home. His leg came up, a purely natural reflex, kicking Natsu square in the face. It let the rest of the guild know that Mystogan was human and he too couldn't put up with Natsu for long. Yet to Natsu, it didn't matter _who_ punched him in the face, he was going to punch back! It wasn't long before Mystogan found himself with a faceful of fist, and even less time for Natsu to find himself flat on his back atop Gray.

The guild fights started once more. Said ice mage shoved the pink-haired boy off, tossing another punch into Mystogan. His plans changed, however, when Natsu jumped onto his back and caused him to head-butt Mystogan in the stomach.

"Watch it moron!" Gray snapped, throwing Natsu off and releasing some of his ice magic Natsu 'eeped' as it covered the ground beneath him and jumped onto a table. "Oh yeah? You wanna fight? Bring it! Karyuu no–!"

Unfortunately, Natsu was interrupted as a strong fist connected with his head and suddenly found himself tossed onto someone's shoulder. "Loki?! What are you doing here?" Natsu snarled, doing his best to work his way out of Leo's grip.

"It's Leo now, Natsu." Leo responded calmly. "And you shouldn't–"

But Leo's interruption did not faze Gray. Rather, it only created an opportunity for him to attempt to put the fire mage out of commission, Smirking, he shouted "Ice Make: Hammer!"

Mystogan, now alone again in the midst of the chaos of the guild, was attempting to scuffle his way back out once more. But the ice hammer swung around and he had to dodge.

Leo, arm already full of flailing fire mage, stumbled into a pillar as Mystogan bumped into his side. Natsu finally slipped free, exclaiming, "Yesss!" As he ran off, a flaming fist lit and headed towards Gray's face.

Without its target to smash into, the ice hammer was picking up momentum with nowhere to go. It didn't take long before there was a loud 'crack' and suddenly everyone was falling through the blackness. Master's face had twisted into one of horror. _They were destroying the guild!_

Erza sighed heavily, shaking her head as Lucy and Wendy were peering up from behind the bar. "A-are they okay ...?" Wendy began to ask, but the groans and continued shouts from below answered her question.

"The idiots ..." Lucy grumbled, Wendy chuckling nervously in agreement. "Aaaaah, this is going to come from our mission rewards, isn't it?!"

Gray's landing wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. At least, until something heavy landed on the middle of his back. But he was on top of something warm, and soft, and... squishy? Almost like a stomach. Shoving whatever was on top of him to the side and ignoring the irritated 'Hey!', he rolled over and poked what he'd landed on. It felt an awful lot like Mystogan's clothing ...

Leo had landed on top of a fairly comfortable pile. Until he was pushed to the side, although he ended up still on top of a somewhat comfortable part of the pile. He could hear Mystogan groan from beneath him, and immediately got up. Or at least tried. He fell back on top of the powerful mage when he discovered how cramped the space was. His thoughts turned to Mystogan, who didn't deserve any of this ruckus. From the past years Leo had spent with the guild, he was fairly certain Mystogan only put everyone to sleep because he was too shy for his own good. _Poor guy ... this must be killer for him right now._

And for Mystogan, it was. Or at least fairly close. He was fairly certain his head had hit something when they'd fallen, seeing as it was aching even more than it had been before. He was winded from the force of both Loki and Gray landing on top of him, and his various wands were digging into his back. As he blinked into better awareness, Mystogan noticed he was being pulled gently to sit up and rest against some of the boxes. A cool hand came to rest against his forehead, and then his neck ... it felt wonderful. The soft, cool touch alleviated a bit of the pain, and for the moment he could forget what was going on and where he was, and how wrong things were about to become.

Leo maneuvered Mystogan to sit against some of the boxes down there. The man definitely didn't need to be laying out it the open right now. And Leo was almost certain he could see a bit of a feverish flush peeking out from beneath the bandana. Resting a hand onto Mystogan's forehead, he was correct. It wasn't too high, but it was there. A check on his pulse told the spirit that it probably wasn't anything _too_ serious. _It seems he's been suffering from these for a long time. Nothing to worry much about, then._

"Look at what you did, ice brain!"

"Me? _You're_ the idiot that didn't counter the attack!"

Leo sighed; the two were at it again. "Natsu. Gray. Could you _please_ be quiet? Just until we get out? I know it'll be hard..." He'd adopted 'that tone'. The one that said he thought they were idiots with the minds of children. Not that that wasn't what most people thought, but this tone told them so. Gray sheepishly accepted it, as he _did_ just blow a hole through the floor (even if he would never admit it to the others), but Natsu did not.

"Hey! This one wasn't my fault!" Natsu replied indignantly, receiving dull looks from the spirit and the ice mage. Growling, he looked up through the hole they created, seeing the Master, Lucy and a few others peering down. "Oooy! Where's Happy?"

"He wanted to go get some fish or another from your house, remember?" Lucy snapped back down at them.

The Master did not appear pleased either. "Go come up the stairs! And bring the salvageable wood with you! We're going to repair the floor, everyone!" This elicited numerous groans from everyone around.

While Natsu continued to banter with those above, Leo beckoned to Gray, who had somehow stripped to naught but his boxers. Gray would listen to Leo because the two had been pals before Leo revealed his spirit status, and unlike the Gray-Natsu dynamic they got along as most imagined friends would. "Gray, would you help me carry him up the stairs?"

It was now that Gray noticed that Mystogan seemed _unconscious_. "... Did we do that?"

Leo chuckled. "He's not much of a fighter, he prefers to avoid these kinds of situations."

Gray shrugged, moving over to hoist one of Mystogan's arms on his shoulders while Leo did the same on the opposite side. He had to firmly grasp Mystogan's wrists, exposed because the collision and the debris had ripped at the fabric. "Explains why he uses the sleep spell, I guess. No such thing as peace in Fairy Tail."

"Natsu!" Leo called out, catching the flame mage's attention again. "Gather the wood, would you?" Leo winked, and he and Gray began to haul the knocked-out Mystogan towards the stairs across the basement. Natsu was throwing his version of a fit, but grudgingly complied; if he was the only one willing to fight it wouldn't be much fun.

Leo and Gray were halfway up the staircase when they received a grumble from their burden. It was barely intelligible, but he was beginning to show signs of life.

"Ah, he's coming around!" Leo stated cheerily. "Let him sit for a moment."

They turned around and sat down on either side of the awakening Mystogan, whose hands immediately flew to his head. in that moment, he was glad he was still masked, and no one must have seen his face. But his headache had come back in full vigor. _We fell through the floor, didn't we?_ He realized, taking in a deep breath.

Leo winced for the mage as he felt Mystogan's headache. "How are you feeling? You landed pretty hard, and then Gray and I on top of you..."  
Gray nodded. "You were pretty out of it. Natsu's cleaning up the wood now, though."

Mystogan sat up abruptly, ignoring how it stirred his headache. "Did any of you touch any of my skin?" Alarm and urgency were clear in his voice.

"Well, your wrists, I guess. And Loki touched your forehead. I dunno if Natsu or I touched any of your skin earlier," Gray answered, extremely confused.

"It's Leo now," the lion spirit corrected, sensing rising alarm in Mystogan. But even he wasn't prepared for the mage to suddenly shoot up, catch himself against the wall when he stumbled. _I have to find a cure, they have to be alright! I can't believe I let my guard down so far as to let them touch me!_

"Mystogan?" Gray raised an eyebrow, but the mysterious, powerful mage vanished in an instant, taking off up the stairs and probably out some secret exit few knew of. The two sat there, continuing to stare. They then exchanged glances. "What was that about?"

Leo shrugged. "He's shy, remember? Shy people generally don't like to be touched in any way."

"But... The whole 'did you touch my skin' thing ... it sounds strange. Even for a shy person." He sighed. "Let's go up." A hand was extended to Leo as the ice mage stood. The lion smiled up at his friend and took it, pulling himself up. But the peace did not last long.

"HEY! Are you trying not to help, ice breath?" Natsu shouted, thunking a large hunk of wood on Gray's head.

Fairy Tail wasn't meant for peace after all.

If only they knew it wouldn't last much longer.


	2. Swamps aren't Just for Monsters

**A/N:** Another chapter full of suffering for our favored Fairy Tail members~ Though the suffering is only beginning. Why jump into it too suddenly? Let it build, and drag onwards~ Yes. After all, we're going to kill someone! Can you guess who? XD

**Wearing the Cloak of the Grim Reaper**

**Chapter Two: Swamps Aren't Just for Monsters**

* * *

_Five Days Earlier ..._

Thick, oozing green water nearly reached his knees as Mystogan trudged through the swamplands. The overhead canopies were thick, but this was far from the oldest portion of the swamp and sunlight was able to penetrate through the leaves and gnarled branches.

He scratched at the few exposed parts of his skin, where red bumps were now swelling and were, above all, irritating. These swamps were the nests of mosquitoes: mother nature's natural sadists. But there was no avoiding them. Even if he had managed to catch a boat ride in time to reach the obscure village in the center, the mosquitoes simply would have followed, intrigued by newcomer blood instead of the locals (whom they had probably feasted upon one time too many). It mattered little; it could not be transmitted through the mosquitoes, nor any other kind of animal or insect than human. If it could he would never have come here.

An hour after trudging through the murk of the swamp, he eventually reached a denser area, filled in with dirt and broken, decaying matter to create an island in the middle of nature's stew. There were numerous such islands, and undoubtedly this was an outlying island, with a tiny twig and mud brick shack that likely was the home of a poorer family. Sighing, he carefully climbed up onto the island, shaking off the water and doing his best to drain his clothes of the filth in the swamp. He'd been lucky not to encounter any strange swamp mammals, he realized, as he saw something sliver in the water nearby.

Scratching at his neck once more, he looked around the little island for any sign of life. The inhabitants were gone, and the house appeared abandoned; but a bridge woven from various branches ran across from tree to tree, and he realized that this would likely lead him to the center of the isolated village, known as Kahtlane. It had been seven days since he vanished from the Fairy Tail guild, after he had left in the panicked frenzy. Though isolated and in some opinions "backwards," this town had an incredible record system - a library few knew of, managed by several locals while the rest of the village performed the normal functions a village required to survive. Kahtlane was also known for its animal and animal skin trades, and for this reason it was often subject to thievery.

His intentions were not thievery. He might appear suspicious, he realized, if he continued to trudge through the waters. If he took the routes the villagers normally took - across the canopies and the makeshift, living bridges - he might be more or less welcomed, and have a better chance of gaining admission to the archives.

Mystogan took to the shaky narrow bridges, keeping a firm grasp on the railings and vines as he crossed the waters below. After a few turns he spotted another island of infill, but this had a line of mud brick and thatched homes. Several village members were on this island, and he smiled to himself, happy to have found the village at last. Many were in their boats, some fishing, others repairing the boats, while others yet were weaving or working with their trades. He came to the shore of the island, and most certainly did not go unnoticed.

"What brings you here?" A woman questioned him, unafraid to approach him. It was rare for Kahtlane to see strangers that did not mean to steal from them, and even less to see strangers that did not arrive by canoe or boat.

Mystogan turned to this woman, being cautious to not appear confrontational or dangerous. "I am here to ask something of your village head. Would you please show me where he resides?"

The woman remained uncertain for a while, but nodded and beckoned Mystogan to follow. She had greenish hair and was clad in normal civilian clothes. He had heard that the swamp had odd effects on its natives, and the green hair must have been one. Mystogan was fairly sure that Kahtlane had no guild, and it was reasonable for them to be apprehensive. Many of the other villagers stared as they passed. She eventually led him to one of the large swamp trees, beckoning upward. "Climb the ropes," she motioned to the rope ladder hanging down from the tree. "Village head is in there."

Mystogan looked up into the canopy where the ropes ascended, and though he could not see the destination he assumed that the village must be far more extensive than he previously believed. _Homes not only on the islands but in the trees as well. They are resourceful_. He ascended the rope ladders, breaking through the canopy above to push himself through a plank floor. The place had no walls, but ample shade from the naturally thick branches and leaves, a cavern in the forest canopy. The canopy above had been woven as it grew and became a natural roof, keeping it safe from rain, from weather, and from animals - though, Mystogan suspected, still had trouble with bugs, as a trail of ants crossed its way across the floor. The room contained no shelves but numerous chests and boxes, some strung up in nets of vines to keep the weight off of the floor.

As he steadied himself and walked inwards, he was greeted by the sight of a tall, muscular, giant bald man, who sat at a desk of sorts at one of the edges, backed by a thick gnarly supporting branch. He raised his head at the sight of the newcomer, offering no smile but no aggressive stance either. He seemed to have assumed that if Mystogan had found his way up here, or was shown the way up, he probably was here on business.

"I am the village head, Kalju." The man answered, his cautious eyes never leaving Mystogan. "What brings you to Kahtlane?"

Mystogan briefly bowed his head, doing all he could to display respect. In a village subjected to wild beasts and thieves, respect meant _everything_. "I come seeking information from the archives. I understand that Kahtlane's archives contain numerous records of illnesses and medicines."

Kalju nodded slowly, grunting. For a man built his size and with a large scar running down his neck, he was far more docile than he appeared. "That is true. But we do not grant access to everyone."

"I understand. But would you consider making an exception?"

Kalju frowned. "State your reason and purpose."

"My name is Mystogan, a mage of Fairy Tail from Magnolia." Mystogan began. "I am a carrier of an illness and have been for many years. I come now, however, because I fear that my illness may have been transmitted to other guild members. I know what my illness causes, and its symptoms, but I have no idea what a cure might be. I ask that I be allowed to research similar illnesses in hopes of finding a cure, in case my guild members have contracted it."

Kalju remained silent for a while, in contemplative thought, no doubt assessing Mystogan's case. Mystogan realized that he may be turned away at any moment, for any reason, and if he was he had to accept it, as the archives were reportedly so well hidden that finding them would be an unachievable task. But, Kalju reached an answer. "I shall send you to the archive heads. They will decide if you deserve admission."

Mystogan bowed his head again, smiling underneath his mask. "Thank you." _I can only hope that there's a way to resolve this._

*  
_Present Day_

After a few moments of clawing at the glass, and Happy being kind enough to push it open, Natsu groaned as he flopped out the window in an attempt to alleviate the nausea. _Happy... Why did you have to pick a mission reached by train?_ It had taken at least half of Erza's strength to drag him on. But his mental accusations were short lived, as nausea tended to eradicate any ability to think or blame or find some mental relief. The other team member sighed or rolled their eyes, doing their best to ignore the teammates' all too common ills.

"You think he'd get used to being sick by now." Gray replied, stretching out his stiff arms.

Lucy grinned sheepishly. "That's just Natsu."

Natsu said something in response, but no one could understand him with his head sticking out the window.

The mission was located in a town called Kahtlane in a swamp. Supposedly a band of rogues had come and settled in the swamp, stealing and generally terrorizing the isolated locals. It had been going on for some time, and the locals had had no choice but to put in a request to the guilds for help. Since the closer guilds had not accepted the request due to the villages' isolation, the message for help had reached Magnolia's Fairy Tail guild.

Because it was located in the swamp, the only way to get to the town was by train to a village on the swamp's outskirts. And then a boat. And the only sympathy for Natsu had come from Wendy, who was tagging along for support (and at Natsu's requests, thinking that Wendy might be kind enough to alleviate his pains – unfortunately this was not the case).

Happy was trying to flirt with Charle, to no avail. Each fish he offered was turned away with a haughty sniff, and all attempts at conversation were killed through lack of response. Happy had been the one to pick this mission, especially after Levy noted that the swamplands had numerous types of fish and other animals. He might be able to get to eat something exotic and tasty, and offer something awesome to Charle! Though he had taunted Natsu with it for another reason: swamp bandits!

For once, Gray was quiet (save for the unavoidable taunts about Natsu's motion sickness), simply looking out the window and forcing his gaze to not drift down to where Natsu was hanging out of it. Arguing with Natsu when there was a high chance he'd throw up on you was never fun, and he knew from experience. Considering Gray's habit of stripping, chancing Natsu upchucking on him would have worse consequences than normal. Lucy kept trying to start up conversation, but ended up falling into the same pit as Happy. With both Gray and Erza quiet and looking out the window, and Natsu trying to keep from throwing up, there wasn't much to talk to. And even she wouldn't resort to speaking to cats.

It wasn't that Happy had ignored her too.

Not at all.

With a sigh, she too reverted to looking out the window. It'd been thirteen days since Mystogan had shown up at the guild, and she still wasn't quite sure what had happened. _Everything seemed fine–aside from the hole in the floor–but Gray and Leo said Mystogan just rushed out. I hadn't even realized it was him until Gray, Loki, and Natsu came up alone. What happened down there?_

The whistle of the train arriving at the station soon cut through her thoughts. Natsu sprung up, a look of glee upon his face, before it suddenly became green once more and he fell to the ground.

"Oi, flamebrain. Did you forget the train doesn't stop just because the whistle goes?" Gray sneered, jabbing Natsu with his bare foot only to have Natsu fang it. Lucy sweat dropped. _Gray's already stripping – where are his shoes?_ Erza glared at Gray, preventing any further fighting. Gray grudgingly grabbed his bag and started searching for his shoes.

Lucy sighed. The antics were beginning. _And there's still the boat ride, too._

"E-excuse me... But Natsu-san is still..." Wendy gestured towards the mage who lay sprawled on the ground, face green and cheeks full of something Lucy did not want to visualize. Erza sighed and scooped him up, tossing him over her shoulder and ignoring the noise of discomfort coming from the sick mage landing on the metal outfit. "Gray. Take his things." The ice mage sighed, but did as told.

"So where do we go from here?" Lucy asked as they came off of the train, squinting her eyes to look ahead. She and the others were unfamiliar with this town.

Erza did a light-hearted shrug. "Let us ask the ticket master here, I am sure he knows." She hauled Natsu over to the station, where a frail old man sat inside a booth. "Excuse me, but we're headed towards Kahtlane – where are the boats that go there?"

"Exit the station and turn left down the street, you'll see the docks at the edge of the swamp waters." He answered with a nod, a bit curious about seeing a woman haul a sick man. _Young love_, he scoffed, though not out loud. The Fairy Tail group left and soon found the docks.

Lucy swallowed. The edges of the swamp looked ominous; she remembered reading a story before. Something called _The Heart of Darkness._ _If ever there were a place to match it, this is it!_ She decided.

It wasn't long before they were on the boats, directed by a young boy. Though he was the only one working, they needed two boats to accommodate them all, one which Gray volunteered to head. Lucy and Wendy joined Gray, while Erza dumped Natsu in the boat directed by the young rower (who was far too amazed by the talking and flying cats).

"Ew!" Lucy cried, trying to rub the blood off her hand from the mosquito she'd just squished. "I know we're in a swamp, but does there really have to be so many bugs?" Her face suddenly lit into a sinister grin. "Wendy... Can your magic do something about them?"

"S-sorry, Lucy-san. All i-it can do is healing..." The young dragonslayer looked down at the bottom of the boat.

They weren't much, simple wooden canoes, but it had been made large enough to carry them and their gear. The further in they went, the more she realized how dense the swamp was and the necessity of having split into two canoes. The magic charms placed onto it meant none of them had to row, and Gray, who had at some point lost his shirt, looked at the nauseous mage in the other canoe ahead of them with disgust. It was easy enough, as Natsu was hanging out of the back of the canoe and Gray was at the front of the second.

"The swamp doesn't need any more filth from you, matchstick!" Gray taunted, but didn't receive too much of a response. Though it dulled the trip, as long as Natsu was incapacitated they didn't have to worry about him tipping the boat, or running off to catch some strange creature, or anything else that was vaguely childish.

After the mild amusement of the cats, the boy turned his attention to the mages. "Are you wizards?"

"We are mages," Erza nodded, smiling. She was impressed by the work ethic of the boy.

"Are you the mages they hired to fight the thieves?" The boy continued; he rarely got to meet mages. "Because they've been having a hard time with them lately. They even robbed some of the trade goods I had to carry back ..." He responded sheepishly.

"Is that so? Perhaps you can describe what you can of these thieves, so we know who to go after."

The boy happily continued to converse with Erza until they reached one of the smaller islands. The boy directed the boats to land against one of the large bordering roots, helping the mages unboard and pull out the luggage.

Lucy grimaced when her boot sunk into the infill. "I should have known better than to wear new boots." Wendy chuckled nervously behind her.

"The village head said to take mages who accepted the offer here," he pointed at the lone hut on the island. "That's where you'll stay. When you're done, go across the bridges and someone'll take you to the head." After Erza paid the boy, he left with a grin and a wave.

As Charle looked around them, she huffed. "This is no place for young ladies. Look at all the bugs! And those shacks. Will we really be staying in _that?" _

The village head had given them a house to stay in, just large enough for the group of mages and made of a thatched roof, twig walls and a mud brick foundation. The village didn't have an inn or any other type of place for travelers, really; there weren't many travelers of whom actually stayed in town. _We probably got one of their abandoned homes or empty storehouses,_ Lucy decided, and verbally complained to the others about it though she went for the most part ignored.

"I mean, it's all one room!" She waved at the hut. "And there's no bathroom or anything!"

"It's a swamp, Lucy." Gray finally answered, neither irritated nor excited at Lucy's comments. "What did you expect?"

"I know, but... There's only _one room_!" She waved her arms wildly, hoping it would help her point. It was then that she blinked, noticing Gray was down to his boxers and standing brazenly in the open. "Aren't you worried about the mosquitoes and bugs?!"

He blinked, looking down. "Haven't been bit yet."

"Hah! They don't like icicles!" A taunting sneer approached them. Neither needed to turn to see the source. It seemed Natsu had recovered. Even before he took the chance to look around, he had to insult his rival.

"Is that really bad, volcano breath? Considering how many are eating you." Gray gestured to the many bites covering Natsu, most attained whilst he was out of it.

"Just means I'm tastier!"

"... How is that any _better_?" Gray frowned. Sometimes, the stupidity of Natsu was difficult to believe.

"Boys!" Erza snapped, catching their attention. "Let's go find the village head, you can save the fighting for the thieves!"

"Aye sir!" They chorused.

Happy puffed his cheeks, angry at Natsu. "Stealing my words!"

Luckily, Erza had already started off. It didn't take her long to find someone to take them to the village head.

Lucy looked up at the ropes ascending into the canopy with trepidation when they arrived. "Do we _really_ have to climb all that way?"

"The village head is up there. We need to speak about the mission," Erza answered sharply, already beginning her ascent. Natsu attempted to follow, pumped up for the mission, but Gray grabbed him.

"What?" Natsu snarled. "Want to fight?"

"Idiot." Gray snorted. "Let the girls go up first!"

"Why?" He asked, a blank expression on his face.

"They're all wearing skirts, idiot. You really want to see underneath Erza's?"

The boys both shuddered. Although they meant the horror from the beatings that would ensue if they _did_ look, Erza took it as a direct insult and snarled from above.

Lucy shook her head at the nervous duo. "Though logically the boys should have gone up first ..." She was in tears as she was forced to attempt to use her upper body strength climbing up the ropes, feeling the ropes bristle against her delicate palms. _Rope burn!_ She cursed.

"See you up there, Luuuucy~!" Happy cheered as he flew past her, flying high up into the canopy and disappearing above. Charle followed him with a hmph! on her breath. Lucy's face darkened at the cat. _Why can't_ I _have one of those flying cats? Or at least wings? That way, I wouldn't have to do this. And it could be a nice one, not like Happy, who always complains about my weight! Or Charle, who won't even touch me._ She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize she reached the destination, bumping into Erza. Erza pushed herself up through the plank floor, kind enough to offer Lucy a hand to pull her in.

Wendy turned to Natsu and Gray nervously, her face red. "P-please don't look!" She bowed before climbing up as quickly as she could.

The boys exchanged glances again. Neither wanted to look up. While neither had viewed Erza as human enough, they would not want to disrespect Wendy - intentionally or not.

"Are they up yet?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know, why don't _you_ look?"

"Idiot, if I look, Erza would kill me! And Wendy would cry!"

"So you want her to kill me?!"

The two boys were clashing once more, their opposing auras growing again, but the woman who had shown them the way to the rope ladder coughed behind them. "You can go up now, the little girl has reached the room."

They chuckled nervously, and looked up to see she was right - the coast was clear!

"Thanks," Gray answered, starting to climb the ropes when he heard Natsu shout in protest.

"Hey! Who said you could go before me, ice pick?!"

"Does it matter?" Gray snapped back, continuing his ascent while ignoring the little flame imp below. Natsu, however, was plotting something devious, and raced up the ropes in a frenzy, climbing _over_ Gray and running all the way up. As he poked his head through the floor entrance, however, he received a _SMACK_ to the head from Erza, causing the other two girls to jump and Natsu to tumble back down to the ground below, passing an amused and snickering Gray along the way.

"Moron!" Erza growled darkly. "That's for insulting me earlier!"

"E-er, Erza, they didn't mean that as an insult ..." Lucy chuckled. Erza decided Lucy's opinion was correct and didn't give Gray the same treatment when he appeared. Natsu followed back up once more, angry that a) Gray had beat him to it and b) Erza had beaten him after all.

The building they had entered - if you could call it that, hard to say when something didn't have walls–was so thoroughly different from what they were used to. And the man who had gone unnoticed until Natsu arrived ... "His beard is _green_!" Lucy gaped.

"Why does that surprise you?" Charle huffed. "The other villagers had green hair too."

_But it's so noticeable on him._ She wanted to retort, but not in front of the man who approached them.

Taking no notice of the astonished blonde, the large man nodded. "I am Kalju, the village head." There had certainly been a lot of visitors lately. "Am I correct in assuming you are the mages we sent for?"

Erza nodded, giving the leader a bit of a bow. "We are from Fairy Tail, here to eradicate Kahtlane of the rogues. May we ask for some background information?"

"Of course. But first, I would like to see your crests." It was best to be safe, in a place like this.  
Erza nodded. Though she displayed her mark on her armor, what was needed was the mark on her skin. She turned sideways, lifting the part of her armor covering the mark while Gray lifted his now-returned shirt, Natsu and Wendy showed their arms, and Lucy her hand.

Kalju nodded in acceptance, ignoring Happy's attempt to show off his own crest (he did not consider to check the cats, much to Happy's dismay) and began his tale. "Kahtlane is a town isolated in this swamp. We have made good business using animals and their skins, and our isolation has knit the people together. However, this isolation also has made us an easier target for thieves, with no useful enforcement nearby. The villagers have made their own protection, and we have organized ways to combat them. These methods have worked well for the most part, and only when this new band of rogues settled in the swamp just outside the village did they stop working. We ask that you rid us of their presence and help bring the village to peace once more."

"We shall do as you ask, sir. These rogues will leave your village to peace once more."

"Thank you." He gave them a nod in appreciation.

"We shall ensure the village finds solace soon." Erza extended her hand to the village head, and they shook. He handed Erza a stack of documents he had written up, detailed with information about the bandits, their usual targets, acquisitions and any other useful information about them.

Moments after, the mages began their descent, Gray and Natsu sheepishly waiting for the girls to descend.

"So why's your beard green?" Natsu asked blankly, earning glares from Lucy and Gray as Lucy took her turn after Wendy.

The man however grinned at the antics. Though the villagers appreciated respect, idiots such as these were no threats to them either. He scratched at his beard. "The water turns all our hair green eventually. Stay around long enough, it will turn yours green as well."

"I don't want green fur!" Happy teared up, flying down after Lucy.

Once they were at the bottom, Erza looked at the others, ready to organize a plan. "We will start by trying to find the thieves' base. The village head said the rogues settled into the swamp outside the village. We'll go and search for it. We will split into groups of two, one taking each direction. Wendy and Lucy will go together, as will Gray and Natsu. I shall go alone. Happy and Charle are free to join whomever."

The boys groaned as they were paired with each other, saying in unison, "I have to go with _him_?" A sharp glare from Erza turned them buddy-buddy fairly quickly, however. She knew that putting either of them with Lucy or Wendy meant that they'd probably outpace the two girls and everyone would end up separated. Separated in a swamp filled with thieves was not a smart idea. And Erza did not wish to join them; they were still on her nerves for their previous commentary.

Lucy looked to Wendy, pleased she wasn't with anyone else. "Which way do you want to go?" Charle flew over with a 'hmph'. "We'll go that way. There is less of _this_." The exceed gestured to the swampy ground around them.

"But we're in the heart of the swamp, it's everywhere ..." Lucy mumbled.

"Then we'll go explore the canopies. It is obvious that there may be more encampments in the trees." Charle beckoned, her wings flapping up. "Come on, Happy."

"Aye!" Happy's eyes sparkled in excitement; he considered this to be an invitation from Charle to be alone, though all it was in reality was a command.

Erza nodded and gave them clear to leave. "I will be going that way. This means you will be taking that direction," she told the boys, showing them the most heavily forested area. It was shadowy and menacing looking, and the redhead turned and headed away before they could protest. She knew they would charge through it without any trouble.

"W-what about us?" Wendy asked nervously. Lucy had to agree.

"You two are reconnaissance. Ask the villagers what they personally know, make note of anyone suspicious."

Lucy and Wendy smiled at each other. They had gotten off easy!

Once he recovered from all that is Erza, Gray straightened up and started walking away. Somehow, his clothing had returned. Perhaps he had found it discarded along the way. "Oy, you coming, mosquito bait?"

Natsu jumped up and glared. "Wanna fight, icicle breath?"

Gray simply rolled his eyes and kept hopping from root to root, ignoring the calls of "Hey! Wait for me!" coming from behind him. The subsequent _SPLASH!_ of swamp water was because Natsu just learned that sandals and slippery roots do not go well together.

Lucy turned and looked to Wendy as they watched the boys disappear. "So... How do you like Fairy Tail so far?"

The younger girl smiled. "It's very nice! Everyone is so kind, and it's so fun!"

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, but they can be a lot to handle."

Erza walked quietly, looking around. There seemed to be no base here... In all actuality, there were a lot of villagers. _Is this a dumping ground? Or something agricultural?_ _It seems unlikely the thieves will be here._

Natsu, on the other hand, was bemused by the animals of the swamp. He had quickly found a crocodile, and later a rodent of some kind, and now he was talking to a _bird._

"Hahahah, look at its gullet! It probably trips over its own mouth!" Natsu laughed out loud, sticking his hand in the direction of the bird. But when the bird opened its mouth, a set of razor-sharp teeth gleamed back at Natsu and clamped down on Natsu's outstretched hand. For a moment, Natsu was silent. But then hell broke loose.

"You starting a fight, bird?! You one of the thieves in disguise?!" Natsu hollered, setting his hand ablaze and causing the bird to immediately let go. Natsu then tried to hit the bird as it flew off, only to ram a flaming fist into one of the trees. His eyes widened in horror as the tree quickly caught on fire, the flames snaking its way up the trunk.

Gray _tched_, reacting quickly and using some of the swamp water to freeze the tree trunk to douse the fire. "Can you get any more stupid?" Gray snapped at the fire mage. "Who the hell talks to birds?!" Or tries to use fire so blatantly in a _swamp?_"

"Hey, they could be like Happy! and trees aren't flammable!"

Gray, who had had a headache building since they'd visited the village head, had had enough. "I know it's damn near impossible for you, flamebrain, but if you don't shut up, the rogues're gonna hear you!"

"Huh? You wanna go, popsicle?"

Gray simply walked away again. But this time, Natsu refused to be ignored. Rushing forward, he yelled, "You deaf or something? Let's go!"

The ice mage spun around to look at him. "Says the one who has to yell to hear his own voice!"

"What'd you say?"

"See!"

Natsu growled and grabbed Gray's arm, leading him to a shadowed but fairly unobstructed area. What could best be described as a clearing, although it was clearing with about two or three feet of swamp water. They were both submersed in the water, and Gray didn't like it. Natsu, however, found that the water soothed the many mosquito bites he had obtained in the past few hours. "We're gonna have a swamp battle."

"...What?"

"A swamp battle. We're gonna fight, and see who's better in a swamp!"

Gray sighed. _As long as this makes the idiot shut up..._ "Ice make: Lance!"

"Hey, that ice is all gross colored – Flaming fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu rose to meet the ice, having to cut himself off.

"Heh, is that all you've got, matchstick? Ice make: Cage!" Gray smirked as it landed around Natsu, and the flaming first sputtered out.

"This ice is still gross colored! Karyuu no... Houkou!" Natsu blew and melted the cage. It was only by luck he didn't light the trees. Rushing forward, the fire Dragon Slayer decided to surprise Gray by not using a magical attack and simply tried to punch him in the gut.

Gray didn't notice Natsu coming, suddenly feeling extremely dizzy and lightheaded. Just as the other was about to make contact, he fell forward, unconscious.

Natsu stumbled back into the water, not expecting the sudden weight. He was temporarily knocked under the water, but quickly pulled himself up, pushing Gray up with him. Gray was unconscious! "Hey... I did it! I got Gray!" He cheered.

"Naaatssu!" A cry came from above, and Natsu looked up to see Happy fly down towards him.

"Hey, Happy!" Natsu waved with a toothy grin, pulling Gray up onto a nearby patch of infill with him, letting the ice mage lie on the ground. Surprisingly, the mage wasn't as cold as normal. Maybe it was just because of where they were. Natsu shrugged, and looked up at Happy. "Aren't you supposed to be checking out the top?"

"Yeah, but I got lost." He replied sheepishly. "I heard you shouting. What happened?"

"I beat Gray!" Natsu boasted. "See? I did it!"

"Aye!" Happy grinned and flew down to them. "Ne, Natsu... Doesn't Gray look kind of weird?"

"He always looks weird. He's a stupid ice pick," Natsu answered, speaking as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know, but he looks more weird than normal."

"He probably drank some swamp water. That stuff looks disgusting." He stuck out his tongue.

"And he's not waking up. Maybe we should get Erza."

Natsu's face immediately paled, and he held Gray close to him. "No way! She'll kill me when she finds out!" He didn't realize the bundle in his arms was stirring until he heard a groan. "...Why're you so close...?"

"Gray! We don't have to call Erza now, see!" Natsu called out excitedly, looking to Happy. Neither noticed how Gray winced at the volume.

Seeing as the other was awake now, Natsu let go and stood up. Gray soon followed, but stumbled and had to clutch onto Natsu to stay standing. The surprised dragon slayer turned to look at him. _Happy was right... Gray does look more weird than normal_. Then again, he had never knocked the ice mage senseless like this before – maybe that was it. Gray's brains were rattled. "Oi, ice pick."

"What do you want, matchstick." Gray didn't even have the energy to make it a question, voice clearly weary.

"...Did I really hit you that hard?"

"Huh?" Natsu hadn't hit him at all... Had he?

_He doesn't remember... I must've hit him really hard._ He would be in trouble if Erza found out. "Come on. We're going to go to Wendy. Can you walk?"

Gray let go of Natsu and started to take a step. "'Course I can–" His legs buckled, and the only reason he didn't hit the ground was Natsu's fast reaction. "Guess I'm taking you then, huh?" He grinned, lifting Gray up and around his shoulders. The ice mage was too tired to be embarrassed or protest. That last wave of dizziness was still there, as well.

Natsu started to walk, taking a shortcut Happy pointed out to him back to the village. Yet, as they neared it, Gray started to protest. The dizziness was leaving, though the headache lingered. "Put me down, Natsu." He growled.

"Why?" Natsu sneered. "Afraid to look so weak?"

"Nah." Gray snorted. "No need to show everyone that you're my servant."

Natsu's face was blank. "How am _I_ your servant?"

"You're carrying me, idiot."

Natsu growled, and attempted to drop Gray unceremoniously though Gray stumbled back and was able to stand on his own. "You want to fight again–?" Natsu began, though Happy decided allowing a fight occur so close to the village without probable cause would be a bad idea.

"Look, it's Erza!"

The two boys jumped, though quickly learned that Happy was bluffing.

"Happy, don't scare us like that!" Natsu hollered at the blue cat who was giggling above.

Gray sighed, rubbing his temples. "Come on idiot, it's nearly dark. Let's finish sweeping this area and return to the ... hut, house, whatever it is."

"Hey, I am not an idiot!"

For the moment, Gray's fallacy was temporarily forgotten as they began to inspect the area once more, before circling back to the hut for the night. They did not see the two bandits in the trees above noticing them, and nodding to one another before disappearing to the far above.


End file.
